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Daughters of the Vote

11 inspiring young women invited to participate in political forums in Halifax legislature and on Parliament Hill

OTTAWA, January 16, 2017 – Among the diverse young women aged 18-23 selected to represent Nova Scotia in Daughters of the Vote (DOV) are a business student who spends summers helping incarcerated women; a queer activist and social justice dialogue facilitator; a young woman motivated by Nova Scotia’s high rate of sexualized violence to create a new sex-ed program; a thesis candidate examining gender issues in the 2015 federal election; a philosophy student from a small rural community shaped by a humanitarian mission to Mexico; and an Acadian-Métis woman with a passion for Indigenous rights.

A unique and historic political initiative, Daughters of the Vote will mark 2017 as the 100th anniversary of some women attaining the right to vote in federal elections, and celebrate Canada’s 150th birthday.

The 11 women were among more than 60 Nova Scotian applicants, selected by an independent adjudication panel for their demonstrated leadership potential, interest in public policy issues and level of community engagement. Visit www.daughtersofthevote.ca for a list of DOV delegates and brief bios.

“The quality of applications from Nova Scotia was superb, demonstrating that these young women are eager to grow their leadership skills and play active roles in the political process,” said Denise Siele of Equal Voice, the organization leading DOV. “Through their passion, vision and actions, these inspiring young Nova Scotians will contribute to their communities, their province, our nation and the world in creative and impactful ways,” she said.

Next, the women head to Ottawa for a week of national DOV events, including when 338 delegates – one for each federal riding in Canada – will gather to ‘take their seat’ in Parliament on International Women’s Day, March 8th, 2017, to have their voices heard and mark a century of women’s suffrage.

As the lead-up, more than 30 young Nova Scotian women who applied to Daughters of the Vote came together at Province House on January 12th to celebrate women in leadership. Afterwards, the group participated in a roundtable discussion on engaging more young women in Canadian politics.

Women comprise just 26 per cent of politicians currently elected to the House of Commons, and only three Premiers are women. Canada is ranked a distant 63rd in the world on the Inter-Parliamentary Union’s list of Women in National Parliaments. Equal Voice is a multi-partisan organization with chapters across Canada, including in Nova Scotia. For more information visit: www.equalvoice.ca.

For updates on DOV news and activities, follow #daughtersofthevote on Twitter @EqualVoiceCA.